Submitted by Ceara Stewart on the 2019 fall semester study abroad program in Barcelona, Spain…
This has been my first week in Barcelona. It was filled with hours of orientation and meeting new people, the usual stuff. I’ve always felt a calm when traveling, but I do have some tips and pointers for getting through your first week.
- Get out and meet people: if you feel isolated or isolate yourself you will feel homesick and not have the best time you possibly could have.
- Don’t limit your foods: Even if foods aren’t American do at least try them. European food is all delicious and super fresh. But don’t worry if you really need a good Big Mac there are American food chains, but don’t rely on those forms of sustenance very often or else homesickness might set in and you’ll limit your cultural experience.
- Do try to adjust to the new time zone. If you go out every night and stay up till dawn you will not get used to the new hours and will have jet lag far into the semester. This will cause you to feel terrible during the day and we don’t want that.
- Do not overly stress about classes. It will all be okay. You are studying to enjoy a new culture!
Along with these pointers, we actually went and and explored Tarragona. It is an old Roman city to the south of Barcelona. We spent the early afternoon on the beach bonding which was so very important because you need to meet a lot of people! After the beach, we split into groups and had a guided tour of what is left of the ancient parts of the city. Fun fact: Tarragona was considered the capital of the Spanish region of the Roman Empire.
And finally here is one thing I had to deal with this week… actually speaking Spanish in a natural setting! I felt accomplished because I was able to order a full lunch and coffee while speaking Spanish and the waitress had no clue I was from the United States. I also converse daily with my host mom which is difficult at times, but I am learning, which is why I am here.
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